Duke Sven forced his way through the crowd of gathering Nordweg soldiers and hobgoblins, "Alright troops, we have two injured here so I need anyone not directly helping, and you know who you are, to back off. I want at least 15 yards of clear space to work. Sergeant Albert, get these men to drag the dead wyvern off and start recovering the nets and reloading the ballistae."

By now all the elves were present. Cloud Eye had the mask. Blue Fox had the leg. Wren had the stick and Cat's hood.

"Rendell, Frederick," the duke waved Willam's two guards-cum-companions over impatiently. "You two, make a perimeter around us. We need to talk here and not be overheard. Get to it," he snapped. Then he knelt next to Cat's head and touched a dark linear streak from the left ear to just under the left cheekbone, "when I arrived at the burning hunting lodge that the staff had fled, I flung burning timbers to reach the bodies I could see. I burned my arms doing so but it was worth it because I was able to save my nephew."

He pulled up his sleeves, revealing the remains of burns on his skin, "when I pulled the dead body of my niece off of my nephew Andray, I removed a still smoldering piece of wood molding from off of his cheek that left a linear burn like so." His finger traced the linear mark on Cat's scarred face.

"I can't begin to express how I feel at almost losing the nephew I have plus the nephew I suspected was still alive, both at the same time." He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, suddenly all business again, "why is Cat Rider unconscious?"

* Cat Rider cast the wyvern-killing spell when he saw the struggling wyvern almost strike Willam with its talon. It takes two days to recover from casting this spell. It is extreme and debilitating magic. It will do the same to me if I need to cast it. *

"But he will be fine in two days?" the Duke wanted reassurance.

* Well, other than the bumps and bruises he incurred when Willam flung him away from the falling wyvern. There will likely be some. He didn't fall well. *

"I didn't mean to hurt him," the despondent Willam wailed.

* Child, you saved his life. He can't move fast. You kept him from being crushed to death. * I studied the upset and discomposed 15-year-old boy who hadn't recovered yet from the adrenaline rush. It was probably that first time in his life for surviving life-threatening danger. The shock of seeing the eyeball, first on the ground and then floating in the air as I held it in my invisible mouth, had not helped the Prince keep himself together. The contrast was extreme between the smooth operator I first met when he ogled Wren in Kizdangengar and the still-shaken wreck in front of me.

"We need to take Cat back to his bed and start the healing of his overuse of magic." Cloud Eye declared. "Do we have all of his stuff? Yes? Good. Duke Sven, Prince Willam, you should come with us. We should talk."

Owl picked up Cat Rider and stood up. He then waited for Willam to get up and started walking so Cat Rider would not be bumped or jarred. He didn't walk at his usual pace which ate up the ground with his long stride. He matched his pace to Willam beside him. I walked next to Willam. The Duke walked next to me.

"How did my nephew do that flaming eye thing on our first evening out of Kizdangengar?" Duke Sven asked.

Hearing the questions, Cloud Eye caught up with us, "Cat has several different glass eyes, and he's very good at switching them while distracting his audience, just like a stage magician. One of them is a magic illusion of a flickering flame that I made him. I made all his eyes. There's a case on his belt with four eyes in it. The flame eye, a starry night eye, an extra green eye, and one eye that works like a lantern light."

"You're quite the artificer," the Duke remarked.

"Not really. I just learned a few things from my uncle Beaver Tooth, who is the real thing. He's the one who made Cat Rider's leg, which I now need to fix. I need to find wood and tools and some cattle, horse, or bison leather."

"What do you need, cousin?" Blue Fox asked. "I can fetch what you need from the Hobgoblins while you get Cat Rider put to bed."

"Let's go together," Cloud Eye said. "Wren and Owl can take care of Cat." Cloud Eye and Blue Fox peeled off, leaving me and Owl and Wren with Cat and the two round ears.

"How did my brother get a pointy ear?" Willam asked.

"Cloud Ear made a fake ear tip and attached it with spirit glue," Wren said from just behind us. I didn't realize she was that close.

"That's going to hurt when he takes it off," Duke Sven said.

"You folks worked hard to keep us from knowing this was my brother," a subdued Willam remarked. "No wonder you got upset with me, Motley Owl, when I was pestering you with all my questions."

"Well, yes," Owl said.

"So, are you going to use magic on us to make us forget if that's possible, or will you just bump us off?" Duke Sven inquired sourly, knowing we had him and Willam in our power.

* Neither. I've already ascertained you will do our Cat Rider no harm, though it would be wise to make sure of the silence of all your men. We could arrange such a measure, to ensure all your company would remember a Cat Rider who was not like Prince Andray. It's more of an encouragement than brainwashing or coercion. *

"You ascertained?" the Duke glowered at me. "Just what do you mean by that?"

* Hmmm. * How much did I want to enjoy this?

"I'm waiting," the Duke growled. I was amused though Wren looked like she was ready to run him through.

* Wren, love, please consider that these two have not had an easy time, on edge for days trying to figure out if Cat Rider was their missing Andray, who they both have missed terribly. *

"Are you sure of that," Wren snapped at me.

* Here, permit me to reveal a most revealing interchange in a very revealing conversation these two had while pondering Cat's identity. I promise it will remove all doubt. *

I had to stop briefly to cast the spell of recall combined with the spell of mind talking.

In their minds, they first heard Sven: * Willam, here's a serious question for you. If Cat Rider is Andray, what will you do? *

This was followed by the voice of Willam: * I would determine if he would be a good king, Uncle, because I do not want to be king. If he looked like he would be a bad king, I would find a way to prevent his rule even if it led to bloodshed. Then I would take the throne, unless, of course, I could foist it off on you. *

The voice of Sven provided the denouement: * No, no, no. No, you don't. I do not want to be king. *

"You were eavesdropping on us," the Duke whipped around to face me, radiating menace.

I started up a very loud purr. * Oh, certainly. For days now. My task in life is the health and happiness of this poor boy and I had to be sure of your intentions. I would not consider letting you live otherwise. *